The unknown life of King Arthur
by Marykim20
Summary: "So many people in the world know about King Arthur's adventures. But what if I told you that he really existed and ruled Britannia in 5th century? What if I told you that half of the real story was never told to anyone?" Maybe it is time for England to share what he knows about that time and say how he is related to the legendary King. This is NOT a USUK or any other yaoi story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: K**

 **Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I posted anything. But I'm alive and ready to entertain you with my new story. As always, I want to remind you that English is not my first language, so there might be some minor mistakes. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you would tell me about them if you found any.**

 **A little note before we get started. There are a lot of authors who wrote about King Arthur's adventures, so it would be right to say whose story I picked as a base. It's** **Sir Thomas Malory's work "Tale of King Arthur". I was unable to find it in Books Category, so I won't post my story as a crossover. Without further ado, let's move on with the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Legendary Excalibur?" The headline caught his eye as he passed the table with the newspaper on it. He stopped in his tracks and took it in his hands. "Two weeks ago remnants of an unknown sword were found, and recent research revealed that it was made in the 5th century A.D. Some might recall the famous sword Excalibur that belonged to the legendary King Arthur, who ruled Britannia in the same century. However, it is surely not Excalibur, because even if the legend was true, the sword would doubtfully be found. The found item probably belonged to some ordinary knight of that time, and after the special expertise it will be sent to the Historical Museum."

England smirked at the article and put it back. He headed towards the kitchen of his manor house to prepare some five o'clock tea. But the minute he prepared it, entered the living-room and was about to enjoy his Earl Grey, someone interrupted him by knocking on his front door.

"England! England! Are you there?" He heard all too familiar annoying voice of America. Arthur sighed, put the cup back on the table and started towards the door.

"I am having my tea time right now. What do you want from me?" He asked while opening the door to see his adopted brother. But just as he opened the door, America rushed into his house, not even bothering to ask to come in and leaving startled England behind. "Who let you in, git?!" Arthur angrily spat, closing the front door, seemingly without any intention to send America away.

"Oh come on, big bro! We were once so close; you brought me up. You are always happy to see me!" He smiled with that toothy grin and showed England a thumb up.

"Don't remind me of those terrible days, America! I'm not happy to see you at all." Arthur proceeded past him in the direction of the living-room, where his tea was slowly cooling. "But if you're already here, would you like to have some tea?"

"Nah! I'm not that fond of tea, you know. However, it would be great if you had coffee to offer me." Alfred dropped into the chair and eyed England in expectation. Arthur shook his head in disapproval and headed for the kitchen to prepare some coffee for his guest. When he came back, he spotted America holding the newspaper and staring at it.

"Have you found something interesting in the newspaper?" Arthur asked surprised that it caught Alfred's attention.

"It is written they found the sword that is probably older than you. You were born in the 10th century." America put the newspaper back and took the cup of coffee from England.

"I am surprised that you actually know when my birthday is, even though it's my second birthday. I mean it was the 10th century when I officially became a country." They sat down in front of each other at the table.

"But when is your actual birthday? It's on 23d of April, isn't it? America asked.

"Tsk, it's just an assumption. I don't know either my real age, or the exact date. But I was born in the 5th century, so this sword is approximately my age." Arthur put his cup of tea on the table and eyed America thoughtfully.

"Really?" America exclaimed, eager to hear more. "You mean it's the real Excalibur?"

Arthur laughed at this and stood up to stand by the window with distant look in the eyes and his arms crossed on his chest. "No, I doubt that Excalibur will ever be found."

"Why? Wait, because it's just a legend, right?"

England looked at his adopted brother and smiled with sadness. "No, it's not a legend, Alfred. King Arthur really existed. And I... I knew him in person."

America almost fell from the chair he was sitting in. "But when I was a kid, you were reading stories about him to me! They really sounded like fairy tales for children!"

England laughed at Alfred's reaction. "You were too young to know the truth. Also, I've never told anyone about this. You're the only person who now knows."

Alfred stood up and approached Arthur. "Tell me more about him." He said calmly, with his tone serious. "Tell me the real story that's hiding behind all these fairy tales."

"It's been awhile, America. I don't remember much. Besides, it's not important. He really existed. It doesn't change anything."

"Brother, I know you too well to get that you're lying," America smirked, "he mattered a lot to you, didn't he?" Suddenly his face lit up and he began laughing out loud.

"W-what's so funny, git?" Arthur resented Alfred's reaction.

"I just realized it... Hahaha! Were you by any chance named after him?"

England's eyes widened as he heard this. He turned around and silently walked to the centre of the room where the table with the tea and coffee stood. He seated himself again and took a sip of his tea. "Come here, America and listed to what I shall tell you."

Alfred joined him at the table and prepared to listen to the story his brother was going to tell him.

"Long ago there was a country named Britannia," England began, "and it was a great country full of magic and brave knights and kings. But the most famous king of that time was Arthur Pendragon, the man whose name is still known even 15 centuries later..."

* * *

A boy of 15 years walked past the guards and entered the throne room. His green eyes widened in amazement as he saw such a rich place for the first time. Ever since he remembered he lived in a small house with his parents and brother and knew no magnificence. But the day before his life took an unexpected turn. It was suddenly revealed that he was adopted by his parents. It was a very shocking news to him; however, there was something that caught him off guard as well. He was to become the king of his country.

So there he was standing in the throne room, taking in every inch of the greatness there. He was distracted from his thoughts as he felt Merlin ruffle his golden hair.

"Do you like what you are seeing, young man?" The wizard asked him smiling.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, but why didn't you tell me about everything earlier? You knew all about this, didn't you?"

"Oh yes, Arthur, I knew everything, but I couldn't interfere... Your fate was long ago predetermined. You will commit a lot of sins, but nevertheless you will be a great king."

"But why me? Why did the sword allow me to retrieve it?" Arthur asked thoughtfully.

"In time I will tell you everything, young man." And Merlin disappeared from sight.

"Why is this wizard always so mysterious?" Arthur asked himself aloud and headed towards the throne he will be sitting upon soon.

He touched the golden arms of the throne and wondered at the fineness of the metal. Then an idea struck the future king and he looked around to see if there was anyone else in the room. When he made sure he was completely alone, he sat on the throne eager to know how it feels. The seat was too big for him, but nevertheless it was pretty easy and comfortable.

So Arthur sat there, enjoying himself when suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice.

"Do you like it, your highness?"

Arthur quickly leapt up from the throne and started to look around the room to find the source of the voice.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in the throne room?" He asked loudly and firmly. "Show yourself!"

At first there was silence, but then he heard light steps and looked in that direction. A young lady approximately of 20 years slowly approached him and made a curtsey. Her hair was red and the eyes were green just like his. She looked like a young and fragile woman, but Arthur could feel the great strength and magic in her. As if she was something more than human.

"It's nice to meet you, young prince. From now on we are going to have a lot of business together. I've been waiting for our meeting for a long time." And she smiled warmly.

Arthur studied her face and nodded. He still felt a bit uneasy being around this woman. She seemed so pure and innocent; however, something was telling him there were a lot of secrets and unseen things hiding behind this mask of chastity.

"Tell me, my lady, who are you?" He asked kissing her hand.

She smiled and her eyes sparkled, causing him to wonder at her beauty.

"My name is Britannia, my prince," she said and boldly sat on the throne, "I am the country you're going to rule." Then she laughed as she saw Arthur's bewildered face. "Please, don't say you didn't know that countries live among you, humans."

"A-actually..." The future king stuttered, unable to believe what he just heard.

Britannia noticed his confusion and stopped laughing. "Oh... So you didn't know?"

Arthur shook his head no.

The lady stood up then and approached him once again. "Now you know." She began calmly. "From now on we should work together in order to not let me disappear from this world. Will you swear to protect me, my future king?

And during the coronation the new king swore to protect his country until the end of his days.

* * *

England stared at the empty cup he was holding and stopped speaking. He was too deep in his thoughts, so that America wasn't even sure if he should call for him. But he decided to be himself, so he did just that.

"Arthur? Are you still with me?"

The older nation looked up at Alfred and smiled sadly. "Yeah, sorry, I got distracted."

"So why were you telling me all this?" America asked him.

England gazed at his adopted brother in surprise. "You wanted to hear more about King Arthur, why would you ask that?"

"Yeah, that's right. But there were no you in the story."

"Well, maybe it's because I wasn't born yet? Are you going to listen to the whole story or not?"

"It seems it's going to be a long story." Alfred made himself comfortable in the chair and prepared to listen to more of the England's narrative.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T+**

 **Enjoy the new chapter. It is more like a filler, but still very important.**

 **Warning** **! This chapter contains suggestive themes and incest. N** ** **o graphic descriptions, only the mentioning.**** ** **In no way do I condone this, but u** nfortinately it was unavoidable, since it's a part of the original Legend of King Arthur.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The life of the king wasn't as easy as he had thought. Ever since he ascended the throne he could feel everyone in the castle stare at him and hear some disapproving whispers behind his back. "Who is he?" "How did he do this?" "What do you mean _he_ is our new king?"

Arthur felt very uneasy and he was too young not to be affected by this. Only Merlin and Britannia kept on believing in him. As it appeared, Merlin knew about the existence of Britannia, and it was his decision to introduce Arthur to her before his coronation so that it wouldn't be a surprise to him. Britannia was staying undercover. Everyone was told that she was the King's adviser along with Merlin and no one seemed to suspect anything about her. Only her appearance provoked distrust, since she looked like a 20-year-old. The king and the country became pretty close friends and Arthur enjoyed receiving pieces of advice from her. Even Merlin was not as close to him as her, since he kept too many secrets from him.

The king was not pleased with this and decided to ask Britannia to try to collect information from him. Using her charm she persuaded Merlin to reveal Arthur's origin to the world. It appeared that Arthur was the child of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, the former queen and king of Camelot. Arthur went to meet his real mother and she recognized him as her son. And when it was revealed, the people of the country finally accepted their new king. But there were so many terrible events to come...

After the great reunion Igraine sent letters to her daughters, Elaine, Morgause and Morgan le Fay, to come and meet their half-brother. They all arrived and Arthur was excited to meet them all. However, not all of them felt this way as well. Ever since Morgause and Morgan le Fay saw Arthur, they took an instant dislike for him. Together they decided to search in the books to find if there was some prophecy about Arthur and how he will be defeated. After several days of search they finally found it. They came to know that Arthur would be one of the greatest kings in the world and be almost undefeatable. However, there was a way to get rid of him. The two sisters knew what exactly they should do and came up with a plan.

However, their plan was not that easy to realize. After all, Arthur spent a lot of his time with some strange woman and they couldn't let her be beside him during the process. The two had no idea that it was Britannia herself, their country. So they came to idea how to distract her. Morgan le Fay cast a spell on Arthur and he sent his loyal companion on some task out of the castle. Britannia felt that something was wrong, but she had to comply.

When she was gone, Morgan le Fay cast a spell on her sister, changing her appearance, and Morgause went into the king's chambers. As she walked in, Arthur looked up from the book he was reading to see who it was.

"Who are you?" He asked, not recognizing his half-sister.

"Meliora," she answered, making up a random name, "I'm afraid I got lost, my Lord. Pardon me for the interruption."

And as her eyes met with his, he stood up from the chair and walked up to her. She was so beautiful and he could feel crazy passion behind those eyes. It was impossible for him to restrain himself. He was 15 years old, his hormones were boiling inside. The young King fell for temptation and a terrible act was performed.

Morgause left right after Arthur fell asleep and along with Morgan le Fay they woke their mother up and told her they were coming back home. Igraine was surprised to hear them leave late at night, but they assured her that it was business of a great importance. And they left without saying good bye to anybody but her.

* * *

Merlin had a disturbing dream. He saw that very prophecy that had been seen by Arthur's sisters and he jolted awake when he saw Arthur die in his dream. He quickly stood up, gathered up and left to check on his King. Arthur was lying on his stomach in deep slumber, the sheets were messy and the spot beside Arthur had seemingly been occupied by someone before.

"What have you done, Arthur?" Merlin whispered, leaning on the wall, shocked.

The king opened his eyes feeling someone staring at him and saw his mentor.

"Merlin?" He asked yawning, "what are you doing here?"

At this moment in came Britannia. "Arthur, I accomplished your errand. It wasn't easy since…" She noticed Merlin there and fell silent as she felt the tense atmosphere in the room. And then as Arthur turned to see her, sheets slightly fell from his body to reveal that he was naked. Luckily he was still covered and they didn't see anything inappropriate. Britannia gasped and turned around in order to not see him like that.

"Arthur..." Merlin began, "about an hour before your destiny was determined. The act you committed will be the reason of your death. You slept with your sister and from this union you will have a son, who will eventually kill you."

Arthur was terrified. His eyes were directed right ahead and fixed on Britannia. She still wasn't looking at him. "Merlin, can you please leave us? We'll talk about it tomorrow." He quietly asked.

Merlin nodded and left the chamber. A strained silence filled the room. Arthur stood up from the bed and dressed himself up so that Britannia could turn around and look at him. But she didn't.

"Britannia..." He whispered and walked up to her from behind. "Are you disappointed in me?"

She sighed. "How could you do this with your sister? It is a great sin." She turned around and stared right into his eyes. He saw pain in her look and took her hand in his gently.

"I didn't know it was her," Arthur said sadly. "She tricked me." Then he released her and shook his head. "But there is no excuse for what I have done. I shared a bed out of wedlock. I should have stopped myself." He made a step backwards in shame.

Britannia, however, stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "She is more to blame, Arthur." After hearing this, the King felt better. And when she embraced him and buried her head in his chest, he stroked her hair and hugged her back.

* * *

"This is how Arthur's fate was determined." England stated calmly and finished his tea. "Do you want some more coffee, Alfred?" He asked noticing that America's cup was also empty. He also wanted to avoid questions about this matter by leaving the room for a couple of minutes.

"No, thanks," his brother answered, shaking his head, "but how did you know all this? I mean, you were not born yet."

England chuckled and refilled his cup of tea. "You'll find out soon, be patient." He sipped the tea and went on telling. "So shortly after this event Arthur broke the sword that he had retrieved back then. In replacement the Lady of the lake gave him the new one, Excalibur, making him swear to use it for the sake of good and return it right before death. But you already know that, since I've been reading the legend to you when you were little. A lot of events happened then. Arthur was a good king and Britannia prospered under his rule. However, five years later the king started thinking about an heir. And he remembered how he met Guinevere, daughter of Leodegrance, who was one of the most beautiful ladies in Britannia. Merlin knew that this union would be the cause of great chaos in Britannia later and tried to talk the king out of marrying her." England paused and shook his head darkly. "But Arthur had a soft spot for beautiful women and thought it was a real feeling. So the marriage did take place."

"And what about Britannia?" Asked Alfred, intrigued by the story.

Arthur looked at him sadly. "She wasn't approving of that marriage too. And she was right. Even though it was Guinevere who suggested Arthur the establishment of the Round Table, she was the cause of a lot of terrible things. But from now on, Alfred, I will be telling you a different story, something that no one but me and my brothers knows. Up to this point I was mixing some facts from the books with the real events and now be prepared to hear the greatest secret of my family..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T+**

 **Here is the third chapter. Thanks for all who found themselves interested in my story so far. This chapter was a pleasure to write, but also very difficult to edit. I'm sorry if there are some mistakes (including mistakes in tenses), I would be glad if anyone would point them out to me if you found any. Enjoy!**

 **This chapter contains suggestive themes. But only the mentioning, nothing too inappropriate.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

It was an early sunny morning. The grass was wet with dew and sparkling under the warm rays of sun. The weather would probably be good that day and those who are fond of sun would probably feel good. Not all of them though. It was still quiet in the castle; everyone was sleeping, not counting the King, who was lying on his bed, deep in thought. His wife was sleeping peacefully beside him, but he couldn't look at her. Arthur was angry with her, but even angrier with himself. He blamed himself for blindly falling in love with her two years ago.

This woman was shallow. She surely was beautiful, but he had absolutely nothing to discuss with her. When he married her, he thought it was the real feeling. But as he got to know her better, he realized how he was mistaken. Two years after the wedding the King found out how much he was irritated by her: how she spoke, laughed, moved and so on. Additionally, she was not completely faithful to him. He saw those looks she was giving one of his best knights, Lancelot. But he couldn't do anything about it. There was no evidence of her cheating and he also didn't want to burn his wife on stake. And that was the punishment for unfaithful wives.

Another reason why he was irritated was because of her not being able to conceive his child. They were trying ever since the wedding night, but it wasn't working. He knew he couldn't blame her for this, but along with all other issues this fact was another motive to blame himself for marrying her. Surely, she helped him by suggesting the establishment of the Round Table and he was grateful for that.

Thankfully, his relations with Britannia were still close. He enjoyed her company. During all these years of working with her he got to know her very well. He discovered, for example, that she also had a human name, which was Elizabeth Kirkland. Another reason why he liked to spend time in her company was her being several centuries older than him. She was telling him about her adventurous long life and sharing secrets with him. He was surprised when she told him that there were only two ways for a country to die: when another country kills them or when they choose to disappear themselves. After that a country just vanishes, however sometimes they can return for a short time to look after younger nations and lead them through the crisis.

Arthur turned to lie on his back, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't get rid of all these thoughts. He needed to speak with someone. Could Britannia still be asleep or she also had an insomnia? _'Well, checking out won't hurt,'_ he thought, sitting down and crawling from under the sheets. He stood up and got dressed, glancing at his wife, who was still sound asleep. _'Good. I didn't wake her up.'_

The King left the room and headed down the hall in the direction of Elizabeth's quarters. When he reached his destination, he knocked, hoping she was awake. And he was happy to hear quick steps behind the door. Britannia creaked the door open and stared at her friend in shock.

"What are you doing here, Arthur? It's very early in the morning, you should be asleep." She said, letting him in.

"I couldn't sleep. These thoughts are haunting me! I need someone to talk to; otherwise I think I'm going to explode!" He responded, sitting down in the armchair and rubbing his temples. "Why aren't _you_ asleep, by the way?"

"To tell the truth, I knew you would come," she smiled. "You know that I am a magician of the sort."

Arthur laughed. "The country of magic and miracles, how could I forget?"

"What is bothering you, my friend?" Britannia approached him, sat down on the arm of the armchair and put the hand on his shoulder.

The King sighed and hung his head. "I can't share this with anyone... But I believe I would explode if I keep on keeping it inside. My wife... I never thought what a big mistake it was to marry her. I can't be in her presence for more than thirty seconds, Liz! She is infuriating. And... I think she has a side affair with one of my knights."

Britannia gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You should have seen how they looked at each other yesterday. I don't understand, how is that everyone still haven't noticed it!" Arthur felt his anger boiling inside and he couldn't control his emotions. He didn't even notice how his voice started raising.

"Shhhh," Britannia embraced him, "calm down."

"And we still don't have children! I know I can't blame her for that, but it makes the situation even more irritating!"

Britannia held him until he stopped ranting. When he finished, she stood up and went to pour a glass of water. Then she gave it to him and he drank all of it, finally relaxing.

"Do you want to hear one more secret of mine, Arthur?" Britannia asked the King and sat on the armchair opposite to his.

"You still haven't told me every one of them?" Arthur smirked.

"Not this one. I never thought about telling anyone about this, but since you shared your fears with me, I feel that it would be right to tell you about mine as well. You see, just like you I want children." Arthur's eyes widened as he heard this. And Britannia continued." However, it is not so easy for a country to have them. Just think, Arthur, what a chaos that would be if countries were just as fertile as you, humans. We usually live for centuries, some of us even for thousands years. And we all have needs similar to yours. Sexual needs are included. And any child born by a country will definitely not be a human. He or she is going to be a nation too. And it doesn't matter if the second parent is a country or a human. It would be highly difficult to live in the world with so many countries." Britannia sighed. "So the Mother Nature gave us the only way to have children. We need to be in love with our partner and the feeling must be mutual. The thing is... We can fall in love only once in our lifetime. Only this way we can save our world from unnecessary wars and a great disaster."

The King was speechless. He stood up and took Britannia's hands in his. She stood up as well and they embraced. "Oh, I had no idea, Liz." He whispered.

They broke apart and she grinned. "Now you know. But please, don't tell anyone! It's a great secret."

"Who would I tell? Nobody knows who you really are!"

"Merlin knows. And some magical creatures do too. Don't tell anyone."

Arthur nodded and then they talked about other things until people in the castle started waking up.

* * *

"I can't believe she told him such an important thing!" America exclaimed.

England smirked at him. "Well, they were pretty close. She trusted him. And to tell the truth she didn't make any mistake by telling him. He kept his promise and was silent about this until his death."

"She's lucky he was a noble man! This secret is even more important than the one about the ways we can die." Alfred was still in shock and he kept on ranting much to England's amusement.

"Alfred, calm down and let me continue. The best part of the story is yet to come. Are you sure you don't want another cup of coffee?"

"Now that I think about it, it's actually a good idea."

England stood up and went to prepare coffee for his brother. When he returned, he gave it to Alfred, sat back in his chair and poured tea for himself. And then he went on with the story.

* * *

Later that day Arthur couldn't help thinking about what Britannia had told him. Furthermore, he caught himself thinking not only about her secret, but also about... her. About how she held him this morning, how she trusted him enough to tell such an important thing and how good he felt around her all these years.

"You seem distant today, dear husband." Arthur heard Guinevere's voice as they stood in the Round Table room, waiting for all the knights to come. He glanced at her and noticed how tense she was. "What is bothering you?" She put her hand on his shoulder and intently looked right into his eyes, as if trying to read his mind.

Arthur remembered how Britannia had put her hand exactly on this very spot that morning. He shuddered and moved forward to his seat. This made Guinevere release him. She squinted his eyes at him, but said nothing.

And then the doors opened and in came the last knight in a shiny armour. It was Lancelot himself. He bowed to the King and sneaked a glance at Guinevere, who returned his gaze and smiled brightly.

Arthur noticed it and once again he felt himself boiling inside with anger. However, he barely made it visible. But luckily no one seemed to notice. So the meeting began and continued just as usual.

At the end of it, however, something happened. Just as the knights headed towards the exit, Arthur spotted one of them slowly moving sideways, right in the direction of Guinevere. Of course, the King knew who it was.

Lancelot approached the Queen and kissed her hand. She blushed as he did that and once again Arthur saw this sparkle between the two. That was it. He couldn't stand it anymore. The King stomped off towards another exit angrily and ran down the halls to the quarters he used to be in that morning. He didn't care if the lovebirds saw his outburst. He just craved for one thing only. He needed to see Elizabeth.

Finally he saw the door ahead and increased his pace, eager to be inside already. Without knocking he flung the door open and looked around. And then he spotted what he wanted. He saw Britannia. She was standing there beside her dressing table with her eyes wide open, staring at him in shock. The door closed behind Arthur, breaking the silence between them.

"Arthur?" Britannia whispered. She was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the King.

"I love you!" He said heatedly. "I've loved you all these years! I was a coward, I couldn't even admit it to myself. But now I do. All these years I couldn't put my finger on why Guinevere irritated me so much. Because she is no you." Arthur moved forward and stood in front of her. "Have me, Liz. You know I can't break the marriage, but you can have me any way. My heart and soul belong to you. I belong to you. All you have to do is ask." He paused, taking her hands in his and staring down at her. "If you love me back, that is."

"Arthur, I..." Britannia hung her head.

"What is it, love?" The King cupped her cheeks and lifted her head to look into her eyes.

"It's so dangerous... What if anyone finds out?"

"No one will. I shall personally kill the spy who sees us. I promise, nobody will ever find out." One of his hands moved to rest on her exposed neck.

"Then," Britannia whispered, lifting her hands to lay them on his shoulders, "have me, King Arthur, for your feeling is mutual. I love you."

Arthur heard all he wanted. Just as she finished, he brought her face to his and kissed her like it was the last day of his life. It was a passionate kiss, full of longing and feelings that were hidden for years. The King started nudging her backwards, in the direction of her bed, still kissing. She tripped over the edge and fell down on the sheets. They both chuckled and Arthur crawled on top of her and started kissing her jaw and neck, moving downwards with each kiss.

No one knew what happened between the country and the King that evening. No one needed to know.

* * *

"Are you leaving already?"

Arthur sighed and looked down at Britannia, who was lying on the bed and watching him getting dressed. "I thought you were sleeping. Sorry if I woke you up. And sorry I can't stay. You know how much I want to spend all the night with you and not just one night. As much as I hate it,

I have to return to my quarters and sleep there." He finished putting the clothes on and sat down on the bed to hold her hand in his and kiss her lips. Even after what had happened between them he couldn't have enough. "I love you," he whispered and stroked her hair.

"I love you too," she responded and pecked his cheek.

"Go to sleep." He put the covers back over her nude body and stood up. "Goodnight, Liz."

"Goodnight, Arthur." She responded and closed her eyes.

The King smiled and left the room, being the happiest person in the world.

* * *

Alfred nearly choked on his coffee. "W-wait... does this mean that King Arthur is your...?"

"Yes." England smiled.

Alfred was speechless. "No, it can't be. You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"Absolutely not. Do I look like a joker to you? You can ask Scotland if you don't believe me." Arthur crossed his arms.

"Scott? Is he... too?" Alfred was now in deep shock.

"Why of course! He is my brother, after all. Along with Northern Ireland and Wales." England frowned.

America made a big gulp of coffee and sat back to make himself more comfortable. "You are now ought to tell me more, Arthur!"

"With pleasure." England responded and went on with the story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: K+  
**

 **Enjoy the fourth chapter. I had fun writing and editing it, and I hope you will like it as well.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Three weeks of pure glee and love. That's how much they spent together, engulfed by passion. For three weeks they were hiding it every day, letting themselves release their emotions only in the evenings. Unfortunately, Arthur couldn't spend nights with her; otherwise the Queen might have suspected something. But as long as they could have at least few evenings to themselves, they were happy. Everyone seemed to notice the King's sudden change of mood. Guinevere even asked him about it, but he only said that he is happy to be a king of the country he loved. And these words were ambiguous. But of course no one knew about it.

Everything seemed great until one morning, when he noticed Britannia's nervousness during the breakfast. He made a mental note to ask her about it later. And when she was walking alone down the hall, he caught her and led to a safe place where no one could see them, which appeared to be a spare bedroom for the guests of the castle.

When they entered, he kissed her longingly on the lips and stroked her hair. "What's wrong with you, love?" He asked breaking the kiss. "You seem so distant today. I can't help but feel your nervousness. Tell me." And he stared deeply into her green eyes, hoping everything was all right with her.

"I... I'm fine, Arthur." She said, averting her gaze.

"No." He took Britannia's face between his palms and made her look at him again. "I can clearly see that something is bothering you."

Britannia sighed and covered his hands with hers. She then slowly guided them down her body until they reached her belly. Their eyes were locked while she was doing it and with each inch Arthur's face showed more confusion. When his hands were on her belly, she released them and lifted herself to kiss his lips. The kiss was short and when they broke apart, she could see how shocked he was. Of course, he guessed what made her nervous, but Elizabeth decided to say it aloud.

"You are going to be a father of a new country."

This time his reaction was different. He laughed, lifted her bridal-style and spinned several times. "Oh, this is so wonderful! I love you! I love you so much! Both of you!"

Britannia laughed too, seeing how overjoyed he was. He put her back on her feet. Then her face darkened and she took his hand. "But how do we keep it secret? Everyone thinks I'm just an advisor to you. And when I start showing, they will instantly know that you are responsible for this. They even might accuse you in unfaithfulness. People will stop trusting you. I can't let it happen to you. We must think about something."

Arthur looked at her deep in thought. "And they will accuse you in seducing the King, breaking my wedlock. They will demise you, that's for sure. And it is far more important than the loss of trust of my people. I won't let it happen. I am not losing you and our child."

"A country can't die this way. Don't forget about it, Arthur."

"Yes. But if they try to demise you and see that you wouldn't die, it would be very dangerous. They might suspect who you really are. I am pretty sure there are people in the country, who know about the existence of countries in human forms. We can't let anything of it happen." He released her and walked toward the window, looking at the forest near the castle. He was silent for about a minute. Britannia walked up to him and embraced him from behind. Suddenly he turned around to face her and hugged her back. "The only way is to hide you and the baby somewhere. It pains me so much, but I think you should leave the castle."

Britannia looked at him in shock. "What?"

"Listen. I shall build you a house in the forest. No one besides me and Merlin will know about its whereabouts. In addition, I will tell him to cast a spell on it, so no one will be able to find it. And I will be visiting you as soon I have spare time for it. I love you and I will never abandon you. But I have to do it to protect you and our child."

She trembled in his arms and he felt the wetness on his shoulder. She was crying. He knew how she felt. He hated being apart from her and now the distance will be even harder to endure. She also didn't want to leave him, but it was the only right choice. And she understood it.

"But please, Arthur, don't tell Merlin about it yet. Let us have this secret all to ourselves for a while." They let go of each other, but he took her hand in his.

"All right. I will have to make up some story then, because we should start building the house as soon as possible."

* * *

"Why, Arthur?" Merlin asked Arthur in bewilderment. "Is something wrong? Did you two have an argument?"

"No-no. It's just... I'm worried about her. You know she doesn't age at all. It's been already 7 years since I became a king, and I am afraid people might start noticing soon. This is why I am asking you to help me build a house for her in the forest. I won't be able to do it all alone."

"But I believe we still have time, no need to haste. We'll talk about it later. Now I have more important business to do." Merlin returned to the book he had been reading before, making it clear that the conversation was over.

But Arthur couldn't walk away, leaving the matter at this point. He quickly approached the wizard's table and impudently shut the book close, earning a shocked gaze from Merlin.

" _I_ am the King here, who is in charge of _everything._ When I am talking to you and like in this case asking about something, you are _ought_ to respond. Don't you even dare treat me like a little boy. I am not a boy anymore!" Arthur was furious. His need to protect Britannia was too strong. And nothing could stop him from hiding her.

Merlin stared at the younger man in front of him and for about a minute he couldn't utter a word. But then Arthur heard what he wasn't expecting. "You've grown so much, Arthur. I am sorry. I should have accepted it long ago. But now I see it."

Arthur sighed. "Merlin, I am sorry I shouted. But I really need your help. And as soon as possible."

"Have you grown that much fond of her, Arthur?"

The King looked into his eyes. "I will do anything to protect my country."

* * *

"And so, Merlin and Arthur together were able to build a house for her. Of course, they didn't do it themselves. The King hired some men and when the work was finished, Merlin erased their memory and cast a spell on the house, so that only he and Arthur could find it." England finished. He decided to take a little break and answer Alfred's possible questions.

"Woah..." All Alfred could say. "Did they manage to finish before she... started showing?"

"Hm. I believe so, however mother never told me about that. But I do know that no one noticed it. Although she did mention one encounter with the Queen."

"Really?! Do tell, England!" Alfred exclaimed. Probably never in his life was he so engrossed in the story.

Arthur smiled and went on.

* * *

Britannia was walking toward her quarters. It was her last evening in the castle and she had to finish packing her things, so that early in the morning she could move to the house in the forest. However, just as she turned around the corner, she ran into all too familiar form of the Queen.

"Oh, pardon, Your Majesty." She quickly said and curtsied. "I never saw you coming."

"Well-well, what do we have here? I always wanted to speak with the King's adviser, but I never got the chance. I saw you only during the meal and several other occasions, when he needed some piece of advice. I wonder though... How is that possible for such a young maiden to be able to handle the political issues and give advice to the King himself. How old are you exactly?"

The two women looked approximately the same age, about 20 years old. However, Britannia was several centuries older than the Queen. But she couldn't tell such a fact. "I am older than you think, Your Majesty. And it's an honour to receive such a compliment from the Queen herself." She smirked, amused by the look of the Queen, who didn't intend to make any compliments.

"Listen here, girl," Guinevere growled, "I know that you're hiding something and there is something unusual about you. I know also that Arthur has a soft spot for you. Don't even deny it, I saw how he looked at you. And I also noticed that sometimes he disappears for the evening. I have a strong feeling that _you_ are the reason."

It was starting to sound like a threat and Elizabeth could feel herself boiling inside. However, she managed to keep calm. "The King is a very busy person. The reason why he sometimes disappears is the business he has concerning Britannia." It was true and Elizabeth couldn't hide the smile that formed on her lips. "And as to why he looks at me, we communicate this way sometimes. From time to time it is more efficient to speak without words, so that no one is able to understand us."

"Liar!" Guinevere raised her voice, trying to act menacingly.

Britannia, however, was not intimidated. She straightened herself up and looked bravely right into the eyes of the angry Queen. "You should be careful with your emotions, my Queen. Instead of following Arthur's every gaze you shouldn't forget about your own eyes. The King already noticed how often your eyes lie on a certain knight."

Guinevere's eyes widened at this and she nervously averted them to the side. "What are you talking about, girl?" Her gaze shifted back to the country and she hissed even more angrily. "Don't you know who is in front of you? Watch your tongue when you're speaking with the Queen."

Elizabeth smirked at her and laughed. "Easy, Queen. I am absolutely not afraid of you. You won't ever see me again, because the King sends me away from the castle forever. You can even ask him if you want. However, I must warn you, be careful with your love interest. Arthur is a very patient person, but even his forbearance is not endless. Good night, Your Majesty." She curtsied and continued her way to her chamber before the Queen could regain her senses.

When Britannia was in, she chuckled and pressed a palm to her belly, feeling barely noticeable bulge there. The dress made it invisible for anyone, but it was already there, the sign of the growing life inside her. She wondered if it would be a girl or a boy. They sometimes discussed their future child with Arthur. Of course, he wanted it to be a boy. But she knew deep inside, that he would also be beyond happy with a girl. The country smiled and went to her bed to spend the last night in the castle.

* * *

"And so Britannia moved to the new house. Some days after that they told Merlin about the baby. He was very much shocked, but he congratulated the future parents anyway. Arthur visited her when he could and together they spent the happiest days of their life." England smirked. "And as you probably guessed, their first child was a boy. Nowadays he is known as the representation of Scotland."

"Wow, that's so cool! I bet if you wrote a book about it, you could become famous and earn a lot of money!"

Arthur face-palmed and glanced at him, "I _am_ famous already, you git, just like you, because we are countries. And not just _any_ countries, but very much developed."

Alfred propped his chin in the palm. "But don't you want to become popular as a human?"

"I was once, several centuries ago. Not interested anymore. Better let the people read 'Harry Potter' instead."

But Arthur heard only the first sentence. "You were famous?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I told you! You know I was a pirate once, and a very famous one."

"Ah..." America rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"But let's get back to the story. Are you interested to hear more?"

America grinned, showing his white even teeth. "Sure!" He exclaimed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: K+**

 **Enjoy the new chapter. I really love my story and it's a pleasure to write it! I hope you like it as much as I do:3**

 **And someone asked me whether I am going to write a story about England's adventures as a pirate. The idea is interesting, and maybe I will come up with something later. But right now I have no plot ideas for this instance.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

It was autumn. The time when the leaves on the trees become vibrant red and golden colours. The time when the forest is inviting people to have a stroll in it. It is so beautiful there. But some people are lucky to live in the forest and witness such beauty every day in October.

A lone rider galloped through the forest, going all too familiar way. Suddenly his horse slowed down and eventually stopped. The rider looked around, making sure no one sees him. Then he turned the horse to the left, making it go into the depths of the forest. The horse slowly moved, avoiding the falling trees and other obstacles. Finally, the rider saw a clearing in front of him. His heart beat faster at the thought of the upcoming meeting. He made the horse go a little bit faster and finally they reached their destination.

It was a small clearing surrounded by very tall trees. In the centre there was a two-storeyed house that looked as new as ten years ago when it had been built. To the right side of the building there was a narrow river that now sparkled under the rays of the autumn sun.

The rider dismounted from the horse and led it to the river, so that it could slake its thirst. He then tied it up and took off his helmet, revealing the face of King Arthur. He ruffled his hair and put the helmet away.

"Father!" He turned around and saw a 9 year old boy running towards him. The boy ran into his father and hugged him tightly.

"Hello there, Scottie," Arthur said lovingly, ruffling his son's auburn hair.

Scott took after his mother. His hair, facial features and probably temper - nothing was his. Well, probably his eyes, but it was hard to tell, since Arthur and Britannia's eye colour was the same green. Arthur also noticed that Scott had a bow in his hand and a pack of arrows behind his back. It seemed like his son had just been training.

"Don't call me Scottie!" The boy pouted. "You haven't been here since last week. Why? What have you been doing? Mum was so worried, even though she didn't admit it."

"I'm sorry," Arthur sighed, "there were some political issues. But now I'm here. Where is everyone?"

Just the moment he asked he heard another boyish voice. "Father! Father!"

The King spotted a younger boy running toward them. It was Seamus, Arthur's second son, who was three years younger than Scott. He also had auburn hair like Scott, but the facial features he took after both parents. When Seamus ran to them, the King hugged him too.

"Where are your mother and Dylan?" He asked the boys.

"They are inside." Scott answered.

Arthur took the boys' hands in his. "Let's go inside then." And they headed towards the house.

* * *

Britannia was sitting at the table and feeding her 3 year old son a soup. The boy was eating eagerly, much to his mother's gladness. Dylan was the most calm and obedient child of hers. She almost never had troubles with him.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen burst open and in ran Scott and Seamus. "Mum! Mum! Father is here!"

Britannia gasped and stood up as she saw the man she loved behind the boys. She stared at him in shock. "Where have you been?"

"Daddy!" Dylan exclaimed happily and reached out his small hands towards his father.

Arthur took his hands and kissed his son's head. Then he looked at Britannia, who stared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Boys, let me speak with your mother alone. Go play in the yard." He said without breaking eye contact with her.

The boys willingly left, leaving their parents and younger brother alone. Dylan whined, "Soup, soup!" demanding another spoon of the soup and Elizabeth instantly went to give him what he wanted. Arthur came up to his wife and tried to embrace her, but she slapped his hands away.

The King sighed. "Listen love. I didn't think there would be so many political issues. I just couldn't find any spare time to come. Liz, you should trust me. You know that I love you and that I'll never abandon you and our children." He said heartedly.

"You just have no idea how hard it is to bring up children all alone. I miss you, Arthur. I miss you all the time..." She turned to him and finally hugged him, "...and now that we are about to have our fourth baby, I don't know how to cope with it."

Arthur held her gently and stroked her hair. "We'll cope, dear. Who could possibly know that our love would lead to so many lovely children." He chuckled and then added, "I'm so sorry I couldn't visit you."

They kissed lightly, remembering that their son was still there. Of course, they couldn't let themselves kiss passionately in front of him. Plus, Dylan was already trying to attract their attention. So they had to stop their affections.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the castle far away from Arthur's a young man of age 16 was standing in his room and speaking with his mother. He was very handsome. His big blue eyes were attracting all the young ladies in the town. His thin lips were craved for. His curly brown hair were the sign of royal blood inside him. And indeed, he was the youngest son of Lot, the King of Lothian* and the Queen Morgause. However, just a moment ago he was told the shocking truth.

"You are not Lot's son, my dear. He is not your biological father." His mother said to him calmly.

And now it occurred to him why his mother never treated him like his four brothers, who were now King Arthur's knights. She never showed any love to him and even talked to him very seldom. Now he knew the truth. He trembled as he heard this news, but couldn't stop looking into mother's cold eyes.

"Mordred." She said slowly. "You exist in the world only to fulfill the prophecy."

His heart stung as he heard that. At this moment he realized that she never loved him. All the hope was shattered. Young man made fists and looked at the floor, trying to stop the upcoming tears. With shaken voice he managed to ask. "What prophecy?"

To his surprise, Morgause laughed. "Oh, it's a nice prophecy. You see, you are the one who will eventually kill Arthur, child."

Mordred looked sharply at her. The same blue eyes and curly brown hair as his. But so much hatred in her heart. But then something unexpected happened. She embraced him. He couldn't believe it. All these years he had been waiting for this to happen and now... she was doing it. He couldn't help himself, but he hugged her back. Another wave of tears prickled his eyes, but he wasn't letting them go. Meanwhile, the Queen continued.

"You are Arthur's son. He has no heirs and therefore you have the full right to become the King of Britannia. Tomorrow you will go to King Arthur and try to become his knight. When you do, try to make him trust you and then we'll see. But the fate is ought to give you a chance to kill him. The prophecy is about all this."

"But I'm not a murderer!"

"You will be. Otherwise you will make me sad. Do you want to make me sad? I am your mother and I love you. I am counting on you, so don't let me down."

She released him and smirked at the success when she saw his face. Her lies worked. Mordred's doubts vanished away and he instantly knew what he had to do. He wanted to make his mother happy. She loved him and he would do anything for her to prove that he's worth something. At that moment the prince's sanity was destroyed, replaced by only one aim. Kill King Arthur no matter what.

* * *

"But how did _you_ know about this treachery plot? I mean, seemingly no one knew about it, and you were still an embryo at that time."

England looked at America with a raised brow. "Tales, Alfred. It was all revealed to me and my family afterwards..." He said sadly.

"And what exactly happened?" Alfred asked.

"Don't you remember what I have been telling you when you were small?!"

"Umm... I'm afraid it's been more than 200 years ago... I might have forgotten things y'know."

Arthur sighed and shook his head in annoyance. "Then no spoilers. I will tell you everything step by step. Well, Mordred did actually become a knight of the Round Table and since then he was aiming to make the King trust him. However, Arthur didn't fall into this trap instantly. Something seemed off about this young man and he only started trusting him after several years. But I'll tell you more about it later. Right now I want to focus on something more pleasant."

* * *

It was spring. The sun was shining brightly and the birds in the forest were singing beautifully. It was almost impossible to believe that just the day before there was a terrible thunderstorm. All the forest animals were happily celebrating the end of the tempest. But their happiness was nothing compared to the happiness in the house in the centre of the forest.

A happy couple was holding their newborn child. The night before they became parents for the fourth time in the last 11 years. They were lying in their bed with the boy sleeping peacefully in the King's arms. Britannia looked at her lover and smiled at how proud his expression was.

"He takes after you." She said, examining her son's features.

Indeed, it was the first child of theirs that had his father's blond hair and similar facial features. However, just like his brothers, he had bushy brows, which the King didn't have.

Arthur chuckled at her comment. "Yes, but the eyebrows disturb me. Did all of them take them after you?"

"I think it runs in my bloodline. My father also had them."

"It explains a lot."

The tiny boy opened his green eyes and stared at his father's face. His gaze was very intent, which was not common for babies like him.

"I get the feeling he is going to be great." The King said thoughtfully, feeling the mightiness in the infant's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Britannia asked, moving closer and looking into the boy's eyes.

"He will be a great country someday. I already feel the strength in him. How do you want to call him?"

Britannia was silent for some moments as she thoughtfully looked at the baby. "Arthur..."

"Hmm?" The King glanced at her, waiting for what she was going to tell him.

"No, I mean I want to name him Arthur. He looks so much like you."

The King looked at their son and smiled. "I don't mind. At least he won't ever forget who his father was."

Elizabeth smacked him lightly. She didn't like it when he was implying that he would eventually die, while his family would live on.

"Arthur Kirkland," He said, smiling, "the son of King Arthur Pendragon and Britannia herself, the fourth prince of Camelot. Welcome into this world!"

* * *

 **A/N:** * **Lot** or **Loth** is the eponymous king of Lothian in the Arthurian legend. In one of the adaptations Lothian is actually ancient Norway. And I stick to this version. You can google it if you're interested.

By the way, tell me what do you think about England being the prince? :D I mean, when I look at him, I see this politeness and intelligence, which is significant to a real prince or even king. My vision and the idea that he might have royal blood inside him literary created this fanfic. Maybe it's just me and my crazy mind though :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T  
**

 **So sorry for the delay, guys. I had a pretty tough week, and couldn't bring myself to end this chapter. But now it's ready, and I hope you'll enjoy it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Father, what is that?" A five-year-old asked the King, touching the sheath of the sword, attached to his armour.

They were sitting in the forest and watching Scott and Seamus fencing with each other. Dylan and Elizabeth were also there, but they were busy and couldn't watch the older brothers fight. In fact, young Dylan was taught archery by his mother. He waited so long for this day to come, and now he was beyond happy to hold the bow and arrows in his hands.

Arthur smiled at his youngest son, who stood in front of him, seemingly annoyed by just watching his brothers. And the King knew this feeling, so he decided to entertain little Arthur. He stood up and withdrew Excalibur from the sheath. The golden blade shone under the rays of sun, making the young country gape in awe. His father crouched in front of him and held the sword out in horizontal position.

"This, my son, is Excalibur. The magical sword, which I received from the Lady of the Lake to bring peace to Britannia.

Little Arthur touched the shiny blade and looked at his father.

"Is it real gold? Isn't it too heavy?"

The question made the King ponder over it. The sword was always very light to him, almost like wooden, despite the fact that it was indeed golden. But no one could lift it as easily as he. The knights who tried said that it was too heavy. The magic was protecting the most powerful weapon in the world. But Arthur wondered if his son would be able to lift it too. He never asked Britannia to do it, he hasn't thought of this possibility. And right now he had the chance to check this out.

"Do you want to try it yourself?" He asked little Arthur.

The boy happily nodded and took the sword by the hilt. The King held the blade a little longer, not sure when to let go, but when he saw that the young country was holding it firmly, he finally released it. Little Arthur gasped as he fell on the ground, overweighed by the holy sword. Arthur quickly lifted his son from the ground and checked for any injuries. Luckily, the boy was not hurt. However, the young country made an irritated expression on his face. It looked funny, especially with these bushy eyebrows being knit together.

The King laughed and patted his hair. "Don't worry; this sword was given only to me for use. But I don't want you to be sad about this. One day you will become a strong country and have plenty of such powerful weapons of your own. For example, magic. If you learn how to use it, no sword would be able to overcome your power. You just have to wait until you grow up. I believe in you, my son."

"What happened?" They both heard Britannia ask as she approached them.

"I gave him Excalibur to hold." Arthur said absent-mindedly.

"You what?" Britannia glared at him. "You know it is too heavy for everyone except for you, right?"

"Well, I was wondering if a country can hold it too..."

"You could check it on me, not on our 5 years old son!"

"Look, I'm sorry... But he really wanted to have it. Plus, I was right here beside him, and as you know he wouldn't hurt himself in any way."

"You are 36 years old and still think like a child sometimes! The fact that they are technically countries doesn't mean they can't be hurt. Also, they haven't yet received their statuses of nations."

"What do you mean?" Arthur worriedly looked at her.

She sighed. "Artie, go play with Dylan, dear. Mum and dad need to discuss something."

Little Arthur wanted to reject, but he saw how worried his parents were and decided to comply. When he headed towards his brother, who was learning to shoot, Britannia sighed.

"They are more like humans right now, Arthur. They are still vulnerable. Only when they get their country statuses, their growth slows down. Until that moment they age like humans and it is possible for them to die or be hurt. Luckily, it is not that easy, but still possible."

"You never told me about that." Arthur said worriedly.

"I'm sorry. I should have..."

They were silent for some time until Arthur broke this silence.

"When they are to receive their statuses?"

"No one knows, it is strongly individual. Some countries get their statuses when they are little, and some only in thirties or even later. But it happens eventually."

"But if they die before becoming a nation?"

"Then there won't be such country." Britannia stated quietly. There was no emotion on her face.

But Arthur knew her too well. She wasn't the one who shows their emotions to the world. The country was scared that her children won't survive. They lived in a world of wars and battles. Despite the fact that Britannia was prospering under Arthur's rule, there was always danger. He embraced her and she buried her head in his chest. She wasn't crying, but she needed his support.

"I'm sorry, Liz. I didn't know. I won't ever risk their health again."

He wished Merlin was alive. The old wizard had passed away several years earlier and the King hadn't asked him so many things. Right now he wanted to know if their children would survive, so that he could console his dear Britannia.

* * *

Guinevere was lying alone in her bed. It was past midnight already, but sleep never came. She couldn't stop herself from thinking. She wondered where Arthur was. He was absent for three days and she couldn't help but suspect something. Could her spouse have a love affair with someone else? So many times did she send someone to follow him, but amazingly no one managed to follow him to the end. It was either sudden fog that helped the King to escape or a blizzard, or any similar thing. It was obvious that it was magic. The King would disappear for some days and come back without any word about his absence. She tried to ask him, but he would always change the topic.

"Are you asleep, my Queen?" Guinevere heard someone whisper. She sat up and looked around, spotting someone by the window.

She stood up and walked there to see Lancelot standing there.

"Lancelot? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, my Queen. My thoughts were all about you being alone here while the King is away." He stepped forward and kissed her hungrily.

Guinevere tried to break away and when he didn't release her, she bit him.

The knight hissed. "What are you doing?"

The Queen looked at him angry. "Don't you ever dare to penetrate my personal space like that, Lancelot. I'm not in the mood right now. Go away."

She returned to her bed and lay down, not interested in continuing the discussion.

Lancelot walked up to her and sat near her bed in the armchair. "I'm sorry, dear, I shouldn't have done it. But I missed you so much. Tell me what is troubling you?"

"Nothing." Was her short reply.

Silence filled the room until he decided to talk again.

"It's him, isn't it? You are worried about his whereabouts."

"Don't begin this senseless conversation."

"Why not? Am I wrong?"

She sighed and sat up. "I love you, Lancelot. More than anyone in this world. I wish I could be with you, but..."

"But you love him too?" He frowned.

"Listen. He is my husband and this fact can only be changed by death. He is always so kind to me and I can't look into his eyes after a night with you. Even so, when he spends a night with me, trying to conceive a child, he looks so sad. And I can't help but wonder why. Maybe he knows about us and it pains him a lot. Or he has someone else to love and this act with me makes him hate himself for doing this. I don't know if I love him, Lancelot, but I know for sure that I'm not indifferent towards him."

Lancelot listened with gritted teeth. He knew he couldn't blame her for this, but it was hard to contain himself and not let the jealousy to overcome his self-control.

Guinevere noticed this and took him by the hand. "Lancelot, have you heard me? I love you. My heart and soul belong to you only. It's just too complicated between him and me that I can't let it go."

He was silent. What could he say? The woman he loved was married and possibly had some sort of feelings toward her husband. She was saying that she loved him, but why didn't it sound reassuring? He needed proof.

"Kiss me." His eyes darted upwards to meet hers.

 _'Has she just said that?'_

"My knight." She added and smiled seductively. Instantly, his doubts were gone and he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss.

All this time they were not aware about someone behind the door. The person took in every word they had said to each other. He heard enough to understand everything and now he knew what exactly he should do. He only needed to wait for the King to come back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T**

 **It's the start of the dark events. The story is nearing its culmination. I hope you're enjoying it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"My King! I am afraid I am going to tell you something that will make you upset. But please, hear me out!" Mordred said, standing in front of the King in his quarters.

Arthur tensed. "What is it you want to tell me, sir Mordred? Is that so important?"

"It's Guinevere. I know that you trust your wife, but the whole Camelot is full of gossips that she sleeps with sir Lancelot. And I wouldn't dare tell you such thing if I wasn't sure too. As far as I know they had an intercourse last Wednesday, when you took your leave into the forest. I followed sir Lancelot to find him heading into your and the Queen's chamber."

"Why didn't you stop him then?" Arthur asked, eyeing the knight in front of him with mistrust.

"Sir Lancelot is a very strong knight. I am sure he would kill me the instant I came into the room. I needed more men to help me, but almost all the knights had been sleeping by that hour. So I decided to tell you first and only then gather everyone to seize the betrayer."

"So what do you suggest?" The King asked thoughtfully. He had been suspecting that his wife wasn't faithful to him since the day she saw Lancelot. But he didn't want the gossip to start, and he didn't want to burn his wife at the stake. In addition, it didn't matter, because he loved Elizabeth and simply wasn't interested in Guinevere's love affair. However, it was revealed, and now he had to do something about it.

"I suggest that you should tell your wife that you will go hunting at night. And when you're away, we'll catch the betrayer."

So they did as planned. Arthur told his wife that he would go hunting and come back only the next day, and a bit later he left the castle. He surely had a place where he was always welcomed. Luckily, no one followed him. But as he was galloping across the field, he spotted a lone rider to the left, who was seemingly heading towards him.

 _'Not good. No one should know where I'm heading. I need to go faster.'_ He urged the horse go faster and started moving closer to the forest to his right. Suddenly, just as he was about to enter the woods, another rider leapt out of the forest, blocking his way. Arthur didn't stop to look at his face and turned his horse back to the field only to see the first rider catching up with him. However, the King still had time to go to the side. So he quickly turned the horse to the right and spurred it to go even faster. The two riders went after him, shouting to him something, but he couldn't make out the words. And then he was suddenly blocked by the third rider. Arthur's horse neighed and stood on its hind legs, stopping.

The three riders circled him and took off their helmets. The King's heart beat faster as he saw the familiar faces of his children.

"Why didn't you stop, father? We were shouting to you, but you never listened." Seamus asked.

"If you took off your helmets earlier, I'd recognize you by hair, but I didn't hear any of you shout. Probably you were too far away. Don't do this again."

"We didn't expect you to come here today. We had a ride together and then Seamus saw you. He decided to catch up with you and lead you to us, but you didn't recognize him. So Dylan and I went to stop and encircle you." Scott said, looking at his brothers.

The King's oldest son was now almost adult. He was 18 years old and Pendragon was even thinking about inviting him to join the Round Table. However, he was still hesitating. His children still haven't received their statuses of countries and he didn't want to risk them. In addition, he was anxious of someone finding out about his relations with any of them. Once again the King looked at his sons and realized there was one missing. Of course, the youngest one, Arthur, was still learning to ride a horse, but the King thought his brothers would take him on a ride.

"Where is Arthur? Why is he not with you?"

Scott smirked. "He's reading, as usual. I think he already finished half of the books you had brought him last time. He is boring."

"Don't talk about your brother like that, Scott." The King urged his horse forward and his sons followed behind him. "He shows good results in everything, including archery and fencing. As far as I know he is practicing every day for 4 hours. You should understand his wish to have a rest sometimes."

"But father. He really _is_ boring." Seamus exclaimed.

"Sh. I don't want to hear about it anymore. You three should pay him more attention and show him that you actually care about him. Because as I can see, he doesn't trust you for some reason. Maybe he won't seem such _boring_ to you if you get to know him better."

And the four of them spoke about it until they got home.

* * *

Arthur Kirkland, the youngest son of the King looked down at the light that pulsed from the tips of his fingers, flexing the glowing energy until he could physically hold it in his palm, moulding and examining it. It actually worked this time and he succeeded in using magic for the first time in his life. He was filled with excitement, looking at this light. Finally, he was able to do something his brothers could not. He was tired of being the youngest. He knew the brothers loved him in their own way, but they were not close to him. Scott and Seamus were the oldest and they were not interested in a company of a 9 year-old boy. Only Dylan more or less kept him company when the two big brothers were away. But just as they were close by, he preferred spending time with them.

Arthur got used to it long ago. However, he sometimes wished his brothers would someday accept him as one of their little group.

"You're getting good at it, as I can see."

Arthur flinched, surprised, and turned around to see that it was his father. The King smiled at his son and came up to him to ruffle his hair. The boy made the magical light disappear from his hands and hugged his father.

"I didn't expect you to come today. But I'm happy you are here, father."

"Today it is better for me to be out of the castle." Suddenly his face showed sadness. "Arthur..." He spoke quietly. The boy looked up at his parent questioningly and the King continued. "I feel the dark events coming. I will do anything to protect my family. But I fear I might not survive this time. I need you to be strong enough to protect yourself and those you love. Use anything you can to save your mother and brothers, because there is nothing more important in the world than family."

Little Arthur was shocked by his father's words. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I am a human, my son. I will die eventually, and you will have to go on without me. And I ask the great courage of you, because when you were born I felt the great power in you. Someday you will become a country stronger than any other of your kind. Trust me that."

"But why are you so sure? I am the youngest." Little Arthur averted his gaze. "I think you're mistaken. I'm sure it's Scott who you should be talking to about that."

The King shook his head. "No. Even though you're the youngest doesn't mean you are the weakest. Believe me, son, I once thought I was a peasant boy with no future, living in the shadow of my brother. Until one day I pulled the magical sword out of the stone and became a king." He patted his son's head. "You should believe in yourself and keep moving forward."

Arthur finally smiled at his father and his green eyes shone in glee that the King believed in him. And he would do anything it takes to make his father proud of him.

* * *

The next morning Arthur Pendragon returned to his castle to be introduced to horrible news. Lancelot indeed visited the Queen's quarters. The noble knights caught him there, but all of them except for Sir Mordred were murdered by the stronger knight. Mordred was injured and survived only because he escaped just in time. Also, Lancelot left the castle along with the Queen.

At first Arthur couldn't believe his ears. For some minutes he was in denial, thinking that the whole castle was joking. The reality struck him when he ran into his quarters to see the pool of blood there, and no Queen inside.

Instantly, he ordered some of the knights to look for information of the betrayers' whereabouts. Also, he needed to tell Britannia about this. She was still the country he ruled and she had the right to know what was happening. But he couldn't leave the castle just yet. He had to come up with something, quickly. Then it dawned upon him. His youngest son was learning to use magic. Maybe it was possible to contact him with the help of the King's sorcerers.

He rushed down the hall to the stairs. The sorcerers, Merlin's apprentices lived in a secret room on the first floor. And that's where Arthur Pendragon was heading. He burst into the room to find all three of the mages there, two men and one woman.

"Your Grace, what can we help you with?" The man who was standing closer to the entrance asked, bowing to the King.

Arthur looked into the eyes of the man intently. "I need to contact someone, right now."

* * *

"Arthur..."

The boy flinched and looked around his room, looking for the owner of the voice. He clearly heard his father, but he knew he was now in the castle. There was no way the King could still be home.

"Arthur..." The voice repeated, leaving Arthur even more confused. "Arthur, it's me." Now the voice was more distinct and the boy realized it was not just his imagination.

"Father? Where are you?"

"In your head. I contacted you with the help of magic. I have to tell you something important. My best knight betrayed me. He kidnapped my wife and killed many noble knights. I am afraid this is the beginning of war. I must go to the Castle of La Joyous Garde. I am sure it's where is heading right now. However, I am still waiting for more information. Tell your mother this. She needs to know."

Arthur quickly grasped the importance of the situation. "Oh, father. Can I help you with something?"

"Just deliver this message to mother. And don't let her do something stupid."

"But father..."

But the King already couldn't hear him. The boy rushed out of his room to tell his mother what he heard.

"Mother! Father just told me, he is going to declare war to Lancelot!"

* * *

"So that's how it all started. The time when I..." England stopped mid-sentence, closing his eyes. It pained him, Alfred could clearly see that.

"When you... what?" America asked his brother in worry.

"Nothing. I told mother everything. Then she left me with my brothers and left for the castle. However, father was not there already. He took the remaining knights with him and left Mordred in charge of everything, while he was away. Little did he know how mistaken he was."

"Why?"

"Because Mordred knew that he was Arthur's son. In addition, he had no idea about me and my brothers. That's why he was the rightful successor in title after him. And it could be easily proven with the help of magic if needed. And the last thing he needed to do was to kill his father. Or let Lancelot do this."

"No... No way!" Alfred exclaimed.

Arthur looked sadly at him. "People never change, Alfred. Even now they still kill each other for authority. It makes them blind, making them betray even the loved ones. It is a very dirty thing. I am just glad that my father remained a noble man until his death. But he suffered a lot."

Alfred stood up and patted Arthur on the shoulder and sent him a reassuring smile. England stood up as well and approached the window. "Do you want to know how all this ended?"

"Yes. Tell me." And he prepared to listen what the older nation was going to tell him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T+**

 **Enjoy the new chapter. It's small, but I love it. I hope you will like it too:3**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

It took them three days to reach the Castle of La Joyous Garde. They were exhausted and starved, all full of wrath and grief after what had happened. The King kept on thinking about Lancelot's betrayal. Surely, he knew about his affair with Guinevere. It was also somewhat a betrayal, but since he didn't love his wife, he let it go. But the murdering of the noble knights was too much to bear. They were not only Arthur's friends, but also Lancelot's. And he killed them. Killed them all when they were protecting the King's honour. And then ran away like a coward, without any wish to be responsible for what he had done. If only Arthur knew how this would end, he wouldn't let Mordred perform this operation. He was beyond happy to spend time with his family, but the cost of it was too high.

Finally, they were at their destination point. They were stopped by the guards at the gate and Arthur, having no other choice, shouted fiercely. "Come forth, Sir Lancelot, and let us two meet in the midst of the field!"

His shout was heard by Guinevere, who told Lancelot at least to speak with the King. So the two of them along with several knights went outside to speak. As they were approaching Arthur, the monarch's gaze never left Lancelot. Only once did he glance at his wife just to make sure it was indeed her.

Lancelot came up to Arthur and bowed to him, much to the King's indignation. "My King..." He started, but was interrupted by Arthur's mighty voice.

"How dare you call me your king, betrayer? I gave you everything you wanted: fame, home, trust... But you destroyed it all except for the fame! Now even those who never heard about your noble deeds know about the betrayer Lancelot, who killed his fair friends and not only seduced the Queen, but stole her away! I've never thought you would become... this." He pointed at the knight, who was now looking away, unable to meet the gaze of the great King.

"I know I did terrible things, Your Grace, but let me explain myself. I did this to protect the Queen, the woman whom I love. I know it's preposterous and I have no right to love her, but we can never choose who to fall in love with. If I didn't kill the noble knights, they would kill me instead, and then you would burn Guinevere at the stake. I couldn't let this happen. She is the most important person to me in this world." He looked at the Queen lovingly, and she returned this tender gaze to him.

This could not go unnoticed to Arthur, but he didn't say anything. He knew what it was like to love someone truly.

Lancelot kneeled in front of the King and his knights and hung his head in sorrow. "If I didn't save her, I wouldn't be able to live anymore, Your Grace. I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I ask for it nevertheless. I have no right to keep Guinevere here, but I won't give her away if you are going to execute her. If you can't forgive me, at least forgive her."

The Queen kneeled beside the fallen knight and took his hand in hers. "I've sinned, My King. I never thought it would end up like this. I beg for your forgiveness." And she hung her head, awaiting for her husband's reply.

The King watched them silently and finally spoke.

"Guinevere, you are forgiven. You will come back with me. And you, Sir Lancelot must leave my kingdom for good. I will spare your life, because once you were my dear friend, whom I trusted. You did so many things for me and the Round Table. However, your sin is too great to forgive. Go to France or any other country you wish, but never return here."

Lancelot looked at him in horror, realizing that he was being banished and wouldn't ever see Guinevere again. "But Your Grace..."

But the King was rigid. One of the knights helped Guinevere mount Arthur's horse and sit in front of him. And then they set forward, leaving the forlorn knight behind.

* * *

Britannia looked right into the eyes of Mordred and smirked. The young man was fuming, he didn't expect such an impudent woman suddenly appear in the castle and tell him how to rule.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before and now you're just walking into my throne room and tell me how to govern?" He shouted, trying to intimidate her, as she approached the throne he was sitting on. It was driving him crazy. In addition, he has never been so much closer to a woman before. Even though he was pretty handsome, and a lot of women flirted with him, he never let them come so close to him. But this woman managed to do the impossible.

She simply sat on the arm of the throne, and stared at him. "I, dear boy, have always been here. You just never saw me. And you will rule as I say. Besides, it's not your throne, but Arthur's. You are just a knight who managed to get the King's trust. However, I must disappoint you. He trusts me more."

His gaze fell on her beautiful red hair, then on her lips and finally on vibrant green eyes that were captivating him.

"A-are you a witch?"

Britannia burst out laughing. "No, just a wise woman, who doesn't want Britannia to fall while you replace the King, boy."

"Pft, you are hardly 20 years old."

"No, I just look young."

He eyed her skeptically. "Anyway, I won't obey you. The King left me to rule, not you."

"Correction, he left us to rule, because I do it always along with him, and every other king too. So don't question me."

Mordred fumed. He has always been treated like an outcast back in his castle. When the King left him to govern, he felt such pride and happiness and it is now going to be taken from him? For once he thought that no one is going to tell him what to do anymore. But now he realized how wrong he was. Even here, someone was ordering him. And he could do nothing about it.

The days passed and not even once did he make his own choice. Elizabeth was telling him what to do and he couldn't even argue. She had too much influence over him.

Britannia was not feeling good too. She felt weak while Mordred was ruling, and she hoped Arthur would come back soon. She thought about their children, especially Arthur. His relationship with brothers was not quite warm. They could hardly see eye to eye with each other. But Britannia hoped they would take care about him while she was away.

Finally one day she heard someone's loud shout that the King and the knights were coming back. Overjoyed, she rushed down the stairs towards the gates along with some other people. They went outside and waited patiently for Arthur and the knights to arrive.

Elizabeth looked at her handsome, but already mature lover. He was riding with his wife in front and looking serious. However, just as their eyes met, his gaze softened and the corner of his mouth moved slightly upwards. He was happy to see her, but she felt that he was upset.

The servant helped the Queen dismount and Britannia froze. It's been 19 years since she last saw her, but there was a chance Guinevere could still remember her. Especially after their talk before Elizabeth's departure. And if Guinevere remembered her, she would definitely notice that Britannia hasn't aged a day. Once again her eyes met Arthur's, but now he seemed worried. His eyes never left hers as he silently asked what was wrong. Britannia realized that she probably looked very nervous and shook her head no. She then turned around and dissolved in the crowd.

Arthur couldn't follow her right away, and so he approached his wife, let her drew her hand through his arm and led her into the castle.

Later that day Arthur and Elizabeth finally met. He came into her chamber and they embraced silently for some moments.

"I missed you." She finally whispered in his ear.

"Me too. How have you been?"

"Not quite nice without you. I've never felt so weak while Mordred was ruling. But it was not that bad. He was obeying me at least, that's what important."

"Good. I'm sorry you had to go through this. I hope it won't happen again. But now tell me about the children. Are they all right?"

She sighed. "I hope they are. But in fact I don't know for sure. I couldn't bring them here, so I hope Scott and Seamus are taking care about Dylan and Arthur."

"You should probably go back to them." The King said sadly. "I wish you could stay here with me, but they need you more than I. Especially Arthur."

"I know," she whispered, "but for now let me stay with you."

She lifted herself and kissed him on the lips. The King returned the kiss eagerly, deepening it and cupping her cheeks. They haven't seen each other for too long and their emotions were boiling. With each touch they felt an immense desire to be even closer. The passion was growing and their kiss was becoming more fervent. Arthur took several steps forward, nudging her backwards until she was pinned against the wall. There, he started slowly untying the laces on her dress. Britannia tried to free herself, wanting to tease him a little longer, but he growled and grabbed her wrists to raise them above her head and pin them there with one hand. She looked at him defiantly and he chuckled.

"Don't even try to resist," he whispered ardently and continued what he had been doing before pausing.

* * *

Mordred was pacing back and forth in the throne room. The King managed to come back unhurt. And even with his wife. The young man was furious. His plan was not working. He had to find another way to kill Arthur, then prove to be the rightful heir and become a king.

Suddenly a white glow appeared in front of him, scaring him. However, soon enough he was able to make out the figure of his mother, Morgause.

"Mordred, you failed." She said, sounding angry.

"I know, but let me correct my mistake! I'll make another plan. Just give me some time!"

She looked at him intently. "Fine. But don't make me wait too long." And she disappeared from sight.

Mordred started thinking harder. He had to make up something, quickly. Or mother would kill him. Finally, after two hours he stopped pacing and smiled evilly. _'Now mother will be glad'_. He rushed to the door and set off to execute his plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T**

 **Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay! The chapter was pretty hard to write, so it took some time. Also I must warn you that there might be some mistakes concerning tenses. I'm not a native speaker, but I tried my best. I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

The clock on the wall struck 7 p.m., startling the two nations, who were deep in thought. Alfred was pondering over what Arthur had told him. He didn't expect to hear such intimate things about England's childhood and his parents' lives. They weren't America's relatives and he never knew them, but in Arthur's voice he could definitely hear strong emotions, so that it touched his heart. He felt that the story was nearing its close, and he knew how it ended in general, but he wanted to hear what England would tell him. He knew that he would never find any of these details in the "official" legend. That's why he had to know how exactly it all ended.

"So what was next?" He asked cautiously.

Arthur looked at him sadly. "Mother returned to me and brothers. I was very happy to see her again. My brothers did care about me, but we still were not in good terms with them. So I was the happiest to see mother. However, the day after that father came home with troubling news. He was told that Lancelot was going to revenge himself on Arthur for the banishment. This meant he had to leave again and leave Mordred in charge. Mother was upset. She asked to come with him, but he didn't want to let her get in trouble. She argued, that there is no danger for her, since it's not a country, who is going to attack the King and therefore she wouldn't be killed. But father was not persuaded, he told her to stay in the castle with Mordred.

"So what was next?"

"I was left with my brothers again. But with each passing day we had more and more fights. And one day I just ran away..."

* * *

The King's army was holding a course for France. They have been walking for two weeks now, all tired and sleepy. Arthur has been thinking about Lancelot's behaviour all the way. He still couldn't comprehend that his friend would go insane and declare war to him. Gawain, one of the closest to Arthur knights noticed how confused his king was, but decided not to interfere with his thoughts. He was riding beside him all the way and mentally supporting him. And Arthur felt it, and was thankful for that.

Arthur looked at Gawain to see that he was already eyeing him intently. He was worried, he knew it. He smiled at him slightly in order to assure him that he was all right, but it didn't work. The knight became even more upset. "Arthur," he began quietly so that no one could hear them, "I know what you are thinking about now. I know that you are disappointed with Lancelot, he was your friend after all. But people are unpredictable creatures, they tend to betray anyone just for the sake of their own benefits, you can never trust them fully. I'm sorry that you lost your friend. He was my friend too and I feel the same."

He looked at him, hurt. "Your words hurt me, but you are saying right things. I made a mistake. Such trustful man as myself cannot be a good king."

"What are you saying? You are the greatest king in Britannia's history."

"Who said that?"

"Everyone. The people love you, they are happy to have you as their king. Believe me, I know it's true. The country has never been so prospering before, that's what they are saying.

The King felt better after his friend's words. But he still wasn't sure about it.

"My King! There is something in the distance!" One of his knights suddenly interfered.

"What is it?"

"I presume it's a small group of riders."

Arthur commanded his army to stop and they patiently waited for the group to come to them. The King was surprised to see Lancelot among them.

"My King," the knight began, "I was told that you are declaring war to me. May I ask what the reason is? I obeyed your order unconditionally. Or did I commit another crime?"

The King was taken aback by this. "Lancelot... I was going with my army to defend my country against you. I was told _you_ are declaring war to me."

By the look in the former knight's eyes Arthur could see that the man was surprised. And the fact that he met the King with only few people has proven it. It meant only one thing. The King was once more betrayed.

"Mordred..." He whispered. The country was in danger in the arms of the betrayer. It became obvious that he sent Arthur to die in the battle so that he could become a rightful king. Britannia was in danger. "Elizabeth!" The King cried out and turned his army back to Camelot.

* * *

Britannia looked in annoyance at Mordred, who was sitting on the throne and examining his surroundings with a smirk.

"Why are you looking at me like that, adviser? I am your king, show me respect!" He addressed to her.

She raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms. "You are no king of mine, Mordred. You are just a mere knight who warmed himself into the confidence of the real king."

"What did you say, woman? Your _King_ won't come back. He will die in a combat with his friend, not aware that there was no threat from that betrayer."

"What?" For the first time in so many years she felt real fear. "What did you do?"

"I told Arthur that Lancelot was going to attack him. Our trustful King believed me and went to find his death. So it's me, who is the next rightful king." He stood up and walked towards the woman in front of him.

"You are not the next king. Even if Arthur dies it's not you who is going to take over the throne. You see, the King doesn't have children to take after him, so this question will be decided by the Round Table."

"Oh really?" Mordred came up way too close to her and was eyeing her strangely, but Elizabeth tried to keep calm. "Has no children? Are you sure?"

For a moment her heart skipped a beat at the thought that he knew about their children. But she decided to try acting oblivious. "Why yes, I am sure. I know my King."

Mordred laughed. But it was hysterical madman's laugh, which made her shiver. " _I_ am the King's only child born by his sister Morgause after their sinful intercourse! Only _I_ have the right to be the next king! And I will prove it with the help of magic! Not even you, Britannia, will stop me!"

"What did you say?" Elizabeth was shocked. She remembered that night when she and Merlin discovered Arthur right after the sinful act with Morgause. How much hurt she was and how Merlin told them that from that intercourse a bastard would be born. And now she was standing in front of this bastard, who also appeared to know her secret. _'How did he know?'_

"Don't even try to lie to me, country. I know who you are. And only that's why I told you all this. We are going to have fun together while I rule, aren't we?" He made another step towards her.

"Nobody will believe you, betrayer! And Arthur _will_ return. He has Excalibur and its magical sheath, which makes him invulnerable. He won't lose this battle."

Mordred completely forgot about the magical sword and sheath. He would have to come up with another plan. But right then he decided to ignore that part. "No. Nobody will believe _you,_ my dear. You are no one here. You can't tell anyone your secret, so to everyone here you are just a mere 20-year-old that knows nothing. But I should admit you must stay here, so that I will be able to rule you." He was standing now right in front of her, invading her personal space. "So maybe we should get to know each other better?" He abruptly grabbed her wrists and tried to capture her mouth with his, but she managed to hit him with her leg. He hissed, but didn't let go of her. The betrayer caught the right moment and took both her wrists in one hand, which made it possible to hold her waist with his now free hand.

Suddenly the door burst open and in ran a boy of 9 years old. Mordred instantly saw the resemblance of the King and it made him stop. But before he could say something, the boy raised his hand towards him. His emerald eyes sparkled with hatred and the mouth whispered the spell. Green light shot forward and hit the man into the chest, knocking him down.

"Arthur!" Britannia was very much surprised to see her son there, but she was glad he saved her. "What are you doing here, dear?" She hugged him tenderly and kissed his head.

Arthur returned her embrace. "I couldn't stay there with brothers anymore. I wanted to see you."

"Oh Arthur..."

They were interrupted by the groaning sounds of Mordred, who was trying to get up.

"Arthur, listen carefully to what I will say. Mordred is trying to take over the throne. You must take a horse and go after your father to France. You are a country, follow your heart and you will be able to find the right path."

"I won't let you stay here with him, mum! We will go together."

He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and led her out of the throne room.

* * *

Arthur Pendragon wanted to go faster. He felt as if Britannia was in danger and desperately wanted to save her as soon as possible. But he couldn't leave his army. He didn't know if Mordred had an army too, so he wouldn't risk. _'Well, at least Elizabeth is impossible to kill. And I'm sure he won't try to do that. But I'm concerned if he could hurt her.'_ That thought made him cringe. But he decided to hope for the best.

They walked several days. If Arthur could, he wouldn't stop for the rest, but he knew that his army won't be able to make it this way. However, he made sure to cut down the time for rest. Therefore, they were able to cut the distance faster.

Lancelot followed the King all along. Arthur permitted him to do this, since he knew Lancelot was the strongest knight in the realm and could prove useful in the case of battle. The knight was riding beside the King and the both were discussing the events. It turned out, that Guinevere had sent a letter to Lancelot about Arthur going to France and asked him why would Lancelot declare war to his former King. Lancelot had been surprised to hear that. He had realized that something was wrong and had gone to meet Arthur before he would have come and start the battle.

They had been moving in silence before something caught the King's eye. It was as if something was moving towards them. Even more, there were _two_ things _,_ not just one. At first he couldn't make out what it was. The dust created by them was too thick. However, in some moments he clearly saw that there were two riders. That's when he recognized them and urged his horse forwards.

"Elizabeth! Arthur!" He reached them, and all of them dismounted to embrace each other. "I am so glad you are all right."

"Arthur, we have disturbing news. Mordred faked all this. He intends to take over the throne." Britannia said, choosing not to tell him about her encounter with the betrayer.

"Luckily we were able to figure this out, young lady." Lancelot approached them and looked playfully at her. "May I ask who you are, my lady? Your face look familiar, but it was so long ago, you can't be her."

"I think you are talking about my mother. She lived in the castle about 19 years ago. She was Arthur's adviser. So am I now."

The knight smiled in acknowledgement. "But of course! I remember her! My, you definitely took after her!" Then his eyes fell on the blonde boy beside them. He looked at the King again and back at the child. His eyes widened in realization. "So alike... I can't believe my eyes. Arthur, is that..."

"Yes. But nobody must know about it. And we have more serious topics to discuss right now."

But Lancelot still couldn't drop it just yet. "But you are so young... how?" He addressed Elizabeth.

"I'll take it as a compliment, but I'm not as young as I seem." She smiled brightly, much to the knight's delight.

The army of the King started to catch up with them and Arthur couldn't let them see his son. Their resemblance was too strong. He needed to act quickly.

"Elizabeth, Arthur, you need to go find Scott and Seamus. I'm not sure, but there might be battle, and I will need their help. They are old enough to participate."

"But Arthur..." Britannia started, but he grabbed her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes.

"If you only knew how difficult it is for me to involve them. But they won't die, Britannia. Even if they are hurt, they regenerate fast. There is no danger for them, and they will help me out a lot."

Elizabeth eyed him sadly. "But you... you are in danger."

He stroked her hair tenderly. "I am not. Excalibur and its sheath are in my possession. Everything will be all right." They were silent for several moments before he continued. "If only I could kiss you right now and return to our little house in the forest, where we were so happy."

A lone tear escaped Britannia's eye. "I love you, Arthur."

"I know, my dear, and I love you too. But you need to go." He smiled sadly. Then he turned to his son and patted his hair. "Protect your mother, son."

"I will." Little Arthur said firmly, and once again the King heard a great mightiness in his voice. ' _This boy will definitely be a great country.'_

And Britannia with their son started towards the horizon to accomplish the King's mission.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T**

 **This chapter contains some gore.**

 **Also, I would like to thank CJWrites for an important correction. Actually I did watch Fate/Stay night series and this is why I somewhat thought it's not only the place where Arthur was taken after his injury, but also the name of the sheath of Excalibur. I was wrong, sorry for that. I've already corrected it.  
**

 **Anyways, here is the next chapter. There is only one more left.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Mordred smiled triumphantly. Even though his plan didn't work again, this time he was actually happy it happened. Lancelot and Arthur somehow realized it was his game, and now they were heading back to Camelot, but little did they know that he was going to meet them far from the capital. And with his own army as well. He managed to win some of the knights over to his side by promising them a great fortune when Britannia is under his rule. And they agreed to fight against the King. But there were only few of those who did this. The others refused to betray Arthur and were brutally murdered by their former friends.

Luckily, his mother Morgause and her sister Morgan le Fay helped him and sent two small armies of their own to help him. The two women asked for help of all the mages in their kingdoms to transfer these armies to Camelot. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to cross the sea this fast without magic.

And now Mordred was riding towards the King in the head of the army, which was obeying him. This was all Mordred have ever dreamed of. For once he felt happy and content.

Suddenly, he saw something in the horizon. He commanded his army to stop and waited patiently until he could make out what it was. And then he smirked. "Why hello, father."

* * *

Arthur Pendragon rode towards the crowd which was seemingly awaiting him. Just as he saw the army, he realized it was Mordred. Of course, this betrayer would want to fight for the throne. And of course, he wouldn't do it in Camelot.

When they were nearing the enemy's army, the King heard Lancelot talking to him. "I will fight for you, my King, no matter what."

Arthur looked at his friend. "I know. Even though you betrayed me and our friends, I still believe that you will protect my country. However, I cannot bear the thought of losing all of my knights in this battle. His army is strong. I will try to persuade Mordred to fight with me alone first." And not waiting for an answer from the knight, he commanded his army to stop and urged his horse forwards.

Mordred smiled as he saw his father ride towards him. But his smile quickly disappeared as the King rode up to him and hit him right into face, almost knocking him off the horse.

"How could you do this to me, you bastard? I trusted you; I made you a noble knight! What is it I did wrong, Mordred?"

The Mordred's knights were about to attack the King for hitting their commander, but Mordred raised his hand as a sign to stay in their place.

He then smirked, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "The only thing you did wrong was to trust me, father."

Arthur was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"My mother's name is Morgause. I am your bastard, Arthur." He said without any respect.

His words were followed by intense whispering behind Mordred's back. Luckily, Arthur's army was too far and didn't hear this.

Suddenly the memory of that night rushed into the head of the King. He remembered falling into Morgause's trap, Merlin telling him that the bastard born from this sinful act would be the reason for Arthur's death and Britannia's hurt face as she had acknowledged what he had done. How could he forget about it? And now this bastard was standing before him, smirking. Arthur wanted to punch him once again, but decided not to as he heard Mordred talk.

"I see you're perplexed, my King. However, your reaction only proves my point."

"May be you're right, Mordred, but don't you even think that I'll accept you as my son. The things you've done to me are too awful to forgive. I shall execute you for the betrayal."

Mordred laughed hysterically. His laughter was that of a madman, and all the people who heard it exchanged glances with each other, not having any idea of what was going on. "You haven't executed Lancelot though. Why would I believe you? You are too kind, Arthur. The King should be powerful and unforgiving. And therefore, I will be best King."

The thought of Mordred ruling his Britannia made Arthur shiver. "No, Mordred. A wise King won't kill his people every time and then. Especially his friends. Lancelot got his punishment. For him the banishment was equal to death. However, a person like you will be deceased, for no banishment will be able to stop you from your goal."

"Then fight me and my army, Arthur. Show me that Britannia herself wants you to be the King. She will help you, won't she?" And he smirked.

Arthur then realized that the bastard knew about Elizabeth's existence. However, he didn't seem to know about their affair and children. The whispering of people was becoming even louder; the people were not catching what the two were talking about and now they had questions. Arthur decided not to respond. He drew his Excalibur from the sheath and pointed it at Mordred.

"I'm sorry that because of my mistake many years ago you had to suffer all your life. I also don't want to lose my people in the battle because of that very mistake. Let us meet in the centre of the battlefield and fight until one's death. If you win, you can try to persuade the people that you should become the King after my death. If not, I think you already know what it means."

Mordred eyed the King in front of him with serious expression. Maybe mother would love him if he kills Arthur himself. Was it worth trying? Definitely. He smirked again. "I accept your challenge, Arthur Pendragon. But first, you should take off your sheath, otherwise it won't be a fair combat."

After hearing these words the King turned his horse around and rode towards his army to give them the new command.

"My noble knights, listen to me and obey my orders! Mordred and I are going to fight until one's death. You must not interfere under any circumstances! This must be a fair combat!"

He then rode towards Lancelot. "My dear friend, I promised not to use the magic sheath." He took off the holy sheath and held it out for the knight. "Keep it until I return with victory. And if I won't succeed to survive, take it and Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. I promised to return it.

"But Arthur..."

But the King already took off toward the centre of the field to wait for the opponent.

Mordred looked at his army uncertainly. To tell the truth he was scared to death. Arthur was a very strong warrior and the chances of losing to him were too high. But he had to do this. He had to win the respect of his future people. And surely, of his mother.

He urged the horse forwards and rode towards the King. He stopped in front of him and for some moments they silently stood there, looking intently into each other's eyes, trying to find any sign of fear.

Then Arthur raised his sword and pointed it at Mordred's, silently asking him to draw it too. Mordred complied. Five more seconds and the King attacked first. Mordred managed to dodge the swing and made an attempt to strike the King too, but he warded off the blow and quickly sliced once again, hitting Mordred's left forearm. The young knight cried and tried to block another blow, but he was too slow. Arthur hit him with the handle of Excalibur and knocked him off his horse. The horse neighed and ran away, leaving its rider to face his fate.

However, to Mordred's astonishment, Arthur also dismounted and sent his horse away. "Stand up, knight! The real knight of the Round Table won't surrender only because he fell from the horse!"

Mordred was shocked that Arthur gave him another chance. He stood up, gripping his sword with two hands, waiting for the King to strike again. But he didn't. Not until the knight was up. Only then did Arthur strike again. This time, however, Mordred fought better. It was always a problem for him to fight while on the horse, but now that he was on his feet, his movements became more firm and fast. They were almost even. Almost. Arthur made another scratch, but this time on Mordred's right arm. The arm, which was holding the sword. The knight, however, didn't release his weapon despite the pain. But his movements became slower, which resulted in some more wounds on his body.

Arthur looked at the knight before him and estimated his condition. Mordred was gasping for air, seemingly very tired. But then something strange happened. The betrayer suddenly attacked, without any sign of exhaustion. Luckily, Pendragon managed to block the blow, but he was pretty surprised at how fast the knight regained his strength.

"Tell me, Mordred," Arthur asked, while defending, "did you use magic? You've regained your strength way too fast."

Mordred smiled. "Mother helps me. But you won't be able to prove it, King."

And he abruptly charged at Arthur. Once again, Pendragon managed to block the blow, but Mordred went on attacking. Five more blows and the knight sliced the King's shoulder. Then his arm, and finally his leg, making his opponent fall. Arthur, however, quickly got up and attacked Mordred, but he easily blocked him. And then a terrible thing happened. With unhuman speed the knight sliced Arthur's wrist, making him drop Excalibur and pierced the King's stomach. Arthur fell on his knees, holding his wound. _'That's it? My Britannia will be under the rule of this bastard and I won't be able to see her and our children before death? No... I... I can't let it happen...'_ He wanted to reach out for his sword, but the wound was too deep. He was becoming weaker with every second. He looked up to face the knight in front of him.

"Any last words, Pendragon?" Mordred asked. He was practically beaming from happiness. He felt so strong and was proud of himself, being capable of defeating the legendary King.

But Arthur looked at him and saw a coward. A mere boy who thought he could rule the whole country, but wouldn't be able to do it for more than a week before being killed. This boy did nothing himself. Only this thought made Arthur feel better, that Britannia wouldn't be under the betrayer's rule for long. The people won't tolerate such a person on the throne.

"I'm sorry, Mordred, that your life was so terrible because of my fault. You can blame me all you want for being your father, but it wasn't me, who made your life so miserable."

Mordred was about to interrupt, but Arthur didn't let him.

"Don't argue. I can clearly see that you did all this to impress your mother. But listen to what I'm about to tell you. She never loved you and won't ever do. She deceived me to have a weapon that would one day kill me. A live weapon. I'm sorry to say this, but you mission is almost complete. After my death she will get rid of you too."

"Shut up, you're lying!" Mordred cried and raised a sword above his head to inflict a final blow and kill the King.

"No! Father!" A boyish cry resounded across the field, startling all the present people.

Before Mordred could even react, a beam of green magic hit him right into the chest, sending him away from Arthur.

The King and two armies turned their heads to look at the source. They saw five riders there, who rode towards them. Arthur's heart beat faster as he saw his family. At least he would be able to say good bye to them. But right now he had to focus on something else. It was the King's last chance. Collecting all the strength left in him, he reached for Excalibur and took it. Somehow he managed to get up, still clutching at his wound. Then he limped towards his opponent, who was just getting up. And before Mordred could even stand up, Arthur pierced his heart.

Mordred started coughing with blood, and tried to say something, but he couldn't.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said before pulling out his sword, making the knight collapse on the ground. Mordred gasped for air two more times and then everything was over.

Seeing this, Arthur's army cheered. However, Mordred's army didn't want to leave it like this. The commander turned to the army and spoke.

"They won by deceiving us! It wasn't a fair combat! We must fight for the honour of Sir Mordred! Onwards!"

The army shouted in agreement and moved forward, drawing their swords out.

In the meantime Elizabeth and her sons neared the Arthur's army. She, Dylan and Arthur rode towards the King, while Scott and Seamus stopped in front of Lancelot and he stared at them in misunderstanding.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Scott Kirkland, and this is my brother Seamus. The King asked for us and we came. Let us help you in the battle, Sir Lancelot!"

The enemy's army was nearing them and Lancelot had no time to think.

"All right. Help us, brave knights. If Arthur trusts you, so do I." Then he addressed the King's army. "These two men will help us in the battle! Let's avenge our King's honour!"

The army cheered.

"Onward!" Scott commanded and they moved towards the enemy.

In the meantime Britannia, Dylan and Arthur neared the King, who was already lying on the ground and bleeding profusely.

"Arthur!" Elizabeth dismounted and ran towards her lover.

"Lizzy..." Arthur whispered, outstretching his hand to her.

She sat on her knees beside him and ripped a cloth from her dress to press it to the wound.

"I'm so happy you came..." Pendragon continued.

Dylan and Arthur ran up to them too and also sat beside him.

"Father, don't die!" Dylan pleaded.

But the King already lost his consciousness.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia and the Legend of King Arthur. I just decided to mix them and see what happens. Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. The link to the artist is on my profile page.  
**

 **Chapter rating: T**

 **This chapter contains character death.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

Arthur Pendragon woke up with a terrible pain in his abdomen. It was so intense that he couldn't even open his eyes or move at all. But he could hear. He heard familiar voices of his most loved people. Britannia and his sons'. They sounded worried and were speaking about him not waking up. He wished he could open his eyes to see them, to tell them he was awake. But he couldn't. He had no power.

Suddenly he felt someone's presence beside him and then pleasant warmth where his wound was. Then the warmth disappeared and the King was surprised to find out that the pain was now less intense. And then he opened his eyes.

"Hello, father."

Pendragon stared into the green eyes of his youngest son, who was smiling happily at him.

"I somehow felt you were awake and tried to lessen your pain. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes." The King whispered weakly.

"Arthur..." Britannia ran to the bed he was lying on and took his hand.

That's when Pendragon realized where he was. It was their house. That very house where he spent all the best days of his life with people whom he loved, without any concerns about politics and other issues. He looked around the room and noticed Scott, Seamus, Dylan and Lancelot standing also there. And he was beyond happy to see that all of them were safe and sound. But what made him worried was the grim expression on their faces.

"Lancelot..." He barely whispered, "what happened?"

The knight looked at Scott and Seamus and approached the King. He then went down on one knee and touched the handle of his sword with one hand.

"My King, the army of Sir Mordred was defeated completely. However, we lost too many people. All the Knights of the Round Table died protecting your honour. If it wasn't for your brave sons, I would die too. I am sorry, my King." And he hung his head in sorrow.

The news was too terrible for Arthur to handle. The pain started to intensify again, but this time mixed with the internal grief.

"My Knights... My fellow friends... All dead."

Little Arthur felt how his magic started to disperse, the King was slowly slipping out of the grasp of magic, which he had created to stop the bleeding. Arthur Pendragon was dying.

"Father, please, you shouldn't worry, I won't be able to heal you then." He said in fear.

Britannia gripped his hand and tried to calm him down. But the heart of the King was broken.

"Dear, please calm down. I know it hurts you, but you shouldn't worry. Emotions are dangerous in a condition such as yours." Elizabeth touched his cheek, making him look at her.

He stared at her sadly and then spoke.

"You are the priceless treasure that I happened to find. I would never live for real if it wasn't for you by my side. You gave me all: love, home, children, the feeling of belonging and so many other things. And I protected you, my country, my lover, the dearest person of mine. I wish I could live eternally with you, be a country, and never say goodbye. But my time has come..."

Tears were streaming down Elizabeth's face as she was listening to his words. She couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't even breathe. Only when she noticed Arthur's wound bleeding profusely, she cried.

"No! No! Don't leave me, Arthur! Please don't! I can't live without you!"

Their sons ran to the bed where the King was lying.

"Brothers, give me some power, I need to heal him!" Little Arthur said firmly and outstretched one of his hands to them, while holding another over his father's wound.

Scott, Seamus and Dylan took his hand and he felt their power going through his veins. The green light appeared over the wound and started healing it. Britannia was cupping Pendragon's cheeks and making him look at her. After some moments little Arthur spend all the power he had and finished.

The bleeding stopped. But the King was very pale. He lost too much blood. And they couldn't help him anymore.

"Sons, promise that you will become great countries that will be the strongest of your kind. There are a lot of wars and dark times waiting for you in the future. Try the best you can. Britannia, you must help him, you can't give up when I'm gone. And Lancelot, do the thing I asked you to do before the battle. It is important. Thank you all, for everything."

And then Arthur Pendragon closed his eyes. Forever.

* * *

Silence filled the room. Only the grandfather clock was tick-tocking as the indicator that time hasn't stopped in the house. Alfred couldn't find any words to say as he was looking at Arthur's back, while the Englishman was standing by the window and looking at the world outside, deep in thought.

After some moments, Arthur turned around and walked back to his brother, not looking at him though. In fact, he was looking nowhere, still pondering over something silently.

"So that's how my father died."

America was surprised when England spoke, and even though he had a lot of questions to ask, he decided to listen to what the older nation was going to say.

"He was then sent to Avalon, the holy island. There he was buried, and only few now know where to find his grave. After that my mother yielded to deep sorrow. She couldn't eat, sleep or do anything. My brothers and I were grieving too, but we knew we had to be strong. We tried to support her. But it was in vain. She couldn't even look at us, because we reminded her of him. Especially I. One day, however, she called for us and said that she's sorry for being such a bad mother. We tried to retort it, but she wasn't listening. She said that she's proud of us and cried as we held her in our arms. Surely, we cried too. There is nothing more painful than seeing your mother cry."

Arthur made a pause to sip his already cool tea and continued.

"The next day she disappeared. We searched through the whole forest, but were unable to find any sign of her. We tried for several days until we finally admitted that she had chosen to disappear. Died as a country. That's when we got our country statuses. But this is a different story."

"Oh..." Alfred felt how painful it was for Arthur to speak about it. He felt sorry that his adoptive brother endured so much pain in the past. He decided to change the topic from England's mother and ask about something else. "I'm sorry you went through this, England. But what about Excalibur? Did Lancelot return it?"

"Yes. When father died, he immediately went to give the sword back to the Lady of the Lake. After that the knight left the country. He tried to take Guinevere with him, but she rejected and went to nunnery to spend the rest of her life there, atoning for her sins."

"And has anybody seen it since then?"

"No."

"I wish I could see it. Do you remember how it looks like?" Alfred was trying to help Arthur switch to another topic and stop being sad. But the older nation was still wearing grim expression on his face.

"Sure. Such beautiful and mighty sword is hard to forget. Even though it was so long ago."

Alfred smiled and stood up. "Well, thank you for sharing such a story with me, England. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I wish I could also remember my parents."

Arthur smiled weakly.

They shook their hands and said goodbye to each other, arranging their next meeting. And all the flight back to his house America was thinking about the story that had been told to him.

After seeing Alfred off Arthur went straight to his secret chamber, where he was usually performing magical rituals. However, it was not just an empty room. In fact, there he kept some important things from the past. There was his first bow, his first saddle and many other things that helped him not to forget. The Mint Bunny appeared above his head and sat on his shoulder, as he passed through the corridor to this room.

"Where are you going, Arthur?" He asked cheerfully.

"Just want to refresh my memory." Arthur answered.

He reached his destination and entered his chamber. But he didn't stop by the door. He outstretched his hands and murmured a spell. The light erupted from his hands, lighting the candles in the room with fire. Now that he could see, he walked to the farthest part of the room and stopped in front of a large chest, which was covered with a thick layer of dust. The most peculiar thing about the chest was that it had no keyhole. It was impossible to open it with a key.

"This chest..." The Mint Bunny said in recognition.

Arthur didn't answer. He put the palm on top of it and whispered a spell. Immediately, green light covered the whole chest and it made 6 clicking sounds and opened.

England stared inside for some moments and then bent down to withdraw the contents.

The golden sword shone brightly under the light of fire, as the orange dots from the candles danced on its blade. It was easy for him to hold Excalibur, the sword was just as light as a feather, despite being made of the purest gold.

The Mint Bunny looked at Arthur in awe and the nation smiled at him, very happy that he could hold the sword his father used to hold as well.

 ** _Flashback _**

_Little Arthur was walking pointlessly in the forest. It's been a month since he had lost his parents and had been left alone with his brothers. Sure, they cared about him, but still their relations were tense and were worsening with each passing day. So he preferred spending time in the forest with his newfound friends: fairies, unicorns and of course with the Mint Bunny. But right now he was alone. He wanted to have some time to himself._

 _Being deep in thought he stumbled upon a lake. He was surprised, for he thought he already knew all the forest. But this lake he had never seen before._

 _He sat on the rock under a willow and stared at the small waves created by the wind._

 _"Arthur..." He flinched as he heard his name. But as it hasn't repeated, he decided it was just his imagination. But in some moments it repeated and now the young country jumped on his feet, looking around for the source._

 _"I'm here, Arthur."_

 _He turned to the voice, which was coming from the lake and was surprised to see a woman standing on the water surface. She was very beautiful. She was wearing a blue gown that reminded of streams of water and had blond hair and blue eyes. She also wore a diadem on her head. But what he was looking at was the item in her hands. The familiar golden sword._

 _"I am the Lady of the Lake. I am glad that we finally met, young prince. I have disturbing news. You are going to face dark events and you need protection. This holy sword that once belonged to your father can help you. Your way will be long and hard, Arthur Kirkland. And this sword has no use underwater. Take it and may it protect you for eternity."_

 _"But why are you giving it to me? Why not to Scott or Seamus?"_

 _"Because your father asked me to give it to you."_

 _Arthur was taken aback. "Father?"_

 _"I can speak with all the people: dead or live. He spoke to me and persuaded to give it to you. He believes only you can go far enough with it. And I also trust you. You are the country and won't ever use it against your people."_

 _She walked to him and held Excalibur out to him. Arthur hesitantly took it and found out it was very light._

 _"What about the sheath?"_

 _"You don't need it, young country." And she smiled._

 _Arthur raised the blade vertically to his face and stared at his reflection in it. He really resembled the King. His gaze became firm as he looked at himself and spoke, referring to his father._

 _"I will do everything in my power, father. I will overcome all the difficulties and become strong. I will make you proud of me and become one of the most powerful countries! I won't let you down! Per angusta ad augusta!*"_

* * *

 ***(Latin) Through difficulties to honours.**

 **A/N: So here it is. The end. I've come to the idea of this fanfic in January and for almost a year I've been working on it. When I finished it yesterday, I had so many emotions. I couldn't even fall asleep. It's been quite an adventure writing this fanfic and I want to say thank you for supporting me with your reviews and favourites. They mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed this work of mine, because I did enjoy writing it, even though it was very difficult due to me not being a native speaker.**

 **I wish I could make Arthur Pendragon immortal, so the end wouldn't be so tragic, but unfortunately I can't change the history. Yes, I believe he really existed, even though the majority doesn't believe so. However, we cannot know what would happen if he hadn't died. I think everything in the world is happening for the best.**

 **The last words in the story are written in Latin for a reason. Up to the 6th century Britannia was a part of Roman Empire, so it's logical that England can speak Latin. And in my opinion in Latin these words have a special power (probably magical, since as far as I know the magical spells are usually written in Latin). And also the meaning is somewhat deeper.**

 **Also, the 6 locks of the chest symbolize Arthur's family: him, the three brothers of his, and their parents.**


End file.
